I agree that asking for a larger body to handle the cost is beyond the reach. I wouldn't have even dreamed of suggesting Maricopa County. What I was saying regarding Glendale is that they weren't the best municipality in the area to handle it. They likely would have been better off in Scottsdale/Tempe which have a higher density of upper middle and upper class nearby.

Scottsdale was offered the chance to have the arena first. Los Arcos mall was defunct and scheduled for demolition, so it was an ideal plot of land. The site is about as central as you get in Phoenix (downtown is NOT central). Also of note is that it would be within driving distance for players and close to the IceDen where they practice now. Ellman couldn't get the deal he wanted so he went to Glendale, who let him have his crown jewel; Westgate. It was going to be amazing, but the housing market and economy had other ideas.

Glendale got the Phoenix Coyotes, an arena and Westgate City Center for $230 million, a whopping debt that is $50 million more than the city's original bet to lure NHL hockey across town.

The man in the middle of this development power play was Steve Ellman. Just this week, Ellman lost ownership of much of Westgate next to the Jobing. com Arena where the Coyotes are on thin ice for staying in the desert.

Former Scottsdale City Councilman David Ortega, who was caught in Ellman's political crossfire, said the financial wreckage is devastating for Scottsdale and Glendale.

"(Ellman) left a trail of people who will be paying the price for this for a long time," Ortega said.